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Vaal Hirah
Overview Many have commented on the double life that Vaal Hirah appears to lead, remarking most of all upon the varying reputations he has earned. To some he is an active proponent of safety and honest trade along the Outer Rim; indeed he is known to have been quite vocal publicly about his desires to expand the influence of the Independent Rim Consortium. The democracies he heads on three different worlds at least in the Rim, and the rumoured open nature of the Consortium's heirarchy would seem to suggest that he is quite sincere -- a laudable legacy if that is the case However, there are others to whom Vaal is nothing but a conman; utilising relationships with the Hutt Syndicate (among others), to solidify his iron grip on the systems he rules whilst at the same time putting on a charade for the galactic media. Rumours of bribes, blackmail and racketeering are never too far removed from Outer Rim politics, and so it should be no surprise to hear them in connection with Vaal's regimes either. Even more damning are the (less frequent and rarely substantiated) accusations of actual piracy and attacks upon the Galactic Republic. The Jedi Order in particular have moved against him in the past, though their reasons for doing so have never actually come to light. What then is the truth of the matter? Is Vaal a champion for the 'Little Guy' aling the Outer Rim, a petty tyrant or an active enemy of the Jedi Order? Or, perhaps, he is all three? Only time will tell which stores are lies and misconceptions, and which tell the real story of Vaal Hirah. Rumours and Public Knowledge Early Life Little is known about the origins of this character, other than he claims Alderaan to be the place of his birth. Few appear to have felt it necessary to delve into his personal history however, for when one is a Somebody in the Outer Rim, such things are rarely considered important. All that matters is that he came from Somewhere, and it must have prepared him for what was to come. Beginnings in the Galaxy Vaal Hirah first became known to the Public Eye when he took control of the small, backwater planet Tatooine, gathering support amongst the locals and forcibly removing the previous Headman: Morgan. With the financial support of Agrippa Junik and Draven behind him, Mos Eisley itself seemed to rally to his cause, and the streets were suddenly much cleaner than before; the violent nature of the citizens curbed and galvanised under his guidance. This militaristic coup did not last long however, for soon he relinquished power and called for an election to find a new Headman -- the citizens of Tatooine naturally deciding that this young man with fresh ideas was precisely the one they wanted. Vaal became Headman of Tatooine, and so began a rather unlikely political career. It was not long before the success story of Tatooine was told along the other planets of the Outer Rim, and with Law and Order prevailing upon the desert world, Vaal apparently decided to spread his influence further. What contacts and friends he had won by resurrecting the dead economy of his new world proved invariably loyal as quite quietly and carefully he ran for election on another small, little noticed planet: Dantooine. Securing the Mayorship in a scant few days, a small stretch of the Outer Rim began to fall under Vaal's sway. With this in mind, and looking to the future Vaal set about fortifying and investing in his two worlds; shielding Dantooine and inviting all comers to trade upon Tatooine. It was time to take a rest, perhaps, and take also a look around. The Yidri Crisis Elsewhere along the Outer Rim, things were not so peaceful, nor quiet, and it was not long before full-scale war erupted among some of his business associates. Agrippa Junik and Nash Dragen had long been at odds with one another, both of whom it is rumoured were rather instrumental in helping Vaal acheive his goals. Naturally then, when Agrippa seized the planet Yidri VIII from the notorious Lolinar the Hutt, Nash Dragen presumably saw an oppurtunity to triumph over Agrippa -- attacking the world only a day or two later. Agrippa fended off the attacks, only for the Hutt Syndicate to come looking for their lost 'property'. With Agrippa fleeing and being chased by the Hutts from the system, Vaal Hirah was at hand to make a quick choice. Landing with troops of his own, he took control of the battered world himself, much as he had done on Tatooine, and declared himself protector of the planet; again echoing his words when ousting Morgan. What was impressive (or suspicious, depending on your point of view) was that when the Hutt Syndicate came back to investigate, Vaal apparently managed to broker a deal with them. Perhaps with depleted forces after engaging Agrippa, perhaps deciding the world was not worth their bother, the Hutts left Vaal to do what he will, and made no move to attack. Once again Vaal promised to get the bruised economy and infrastructure of Yidri VIII back on their feet again, repairing the damage of war and promising also to relinquish control when the planet was ready to stand alone again. This took a good while longer to accomplish than with Tatooine -- the governmental and financial systems requiring much work to return them to their previous status before Lolinar had taken control. Vaal is said to have been tireless during this time, founding the Independent Rim Consortium in a bid to strengthen ties with smaller worlds nearby to his own, and thus provide another boltering prop to Yidri and his other worlds' economies. Eventually, when Yidri VIII was considered modestly wealthy once again, Vaal made good on all of his promises, and turned power back to the people. An election followed, and by a sudden landslide the citizens voted him into permanent, official power. There could be no question of Hutt interference this time, with the electorate consisting of humans only and containing many notable persons from the Republic itself. Vaal had secured a future both for Yidri, and his new league of worlds. The Independent Rim Consortium :see main article: Independent Rim Consortium Publicized Relationships Agrippa Junik Vaal and 'Mr. Junik' as he has been known to almost always address Agrippa, have had a topsy-turvy rollercoaster of a public relationship. One time close business associates, it is now harder to imagine two more publicly bitter enemies -- the milk of their dealings having soured considerably. From what can be gathered, the beginnings of their animosity were the events known as the Yidri Crisis, when Agrippa Junik seized control of Yidri VIII in order to wrest control of the planet from Lolinar the Hutt. The fact that in the end it was Vaal who emerged from the ensuing crisis as the ruler of the world seems to have been the first known indication that Agrippa and Vaal had parted ways business-wise. With the depth of emotion apparently felt by the former regarding the planet, it is easy then to imagine how quickly their relationship deteriorated once Junik discovered that Vaal had taken control. It was not long before their burgeoning feud spilled over into the Galactic News, with Agrippa making many an accusation towards Vaal; chiefly naming him as a pawn of the Hutt Syndicate and a petty dictator. Vaal was quick to point out aspects of Agrippa's own past that were less than savoury, but before long the battle of words ended. This was not, if rumours are to believed, the end of the battle itself, for many say Agrippa made overtures to suggest he would forcibly remove Vaal from Yidri VIII. This never did happen, though the next phase of their feud was perhaps just as damaging to any hopes of reconcilliation. It was not long after Vaal Hirah was seen to be in the company of Supreme Chancellor Eluriel Celebrian Persee that Agrippa was nearly killed in a mysterious attack with a lightsaber. Whatever happened in that brutal assault, Agrippa has started rumours that Vaal was the assailant, though any evidence at all to back up this claim has failed to come to light. With these dealings and more, it seems likely that Agrippa Junik and Vaal Hirah will not be making friends of each other again any time soon. Eluriel Celebrian Persee Much has been made of the personal relationship between Vaal and the Supreme Chancellor of the Republic -- so much so that when then Republic Navy sent the better part of their fleet to Tatooine to track down the missing Dreadnaught Pride of Corellia, they failed to inform the Supreme Chancellor of the (formed at the behest of the Jedi Order) taskforce's actions. It was feared, as has come to light, that she would tip off Vaal Hirah, who was suspected of acquiring the vessel and disguising it. Why then would the Navy have such fears? A likely explanation would be the often public friendship they share -- a friendship begun before her rise to the forefront of galactic politics but perhaps only noticed afterward. At many high profile gatherings and meetings between the upper crust of the Galactic Senate, this comparitively small-time Outer Rim figure has been in curious attendance. Senators Ksar Antilles and Meena Tills are said to have spoken with him, but always Eluriel appears to have been his chaperone. Obviously nothing is publicly known of the nature of any private words between Eluriel and Vaal, but her willingness to defend him, even to the Jedi Order, would seem to suggest either a fondness or a political necessity. With the relatively meager support Vaal could offer the Supreme Chancellor of the Republic however, many theorists subscribe to a personal link rather than a political one when explaining their solidarity. Another notable detail is that when the Dreadnaught Pride of Corellia was stolen by then Viceroy of Corellia Aljernic, it was Eluriel and Vaal Hirah who gave chase in the latter's freighter, not the Jedi Order or the Sullustan government; both of whom were in attendance. While this at first might seem to imply a moral standard, the allegation that Vaal's new flagsihip, unveiled days later was the very same Dreadnaught raised many eyebrows. Currently the Supreme Chancellor is embroiled in legal proceedings to explain her orders to the Navy taskforce bidding them leave Tatooine alone. What impact this damaging political issue has to her career, and their relationship, has yet to be seen. The Hutt Sydicate Various rumours have flown around the Galactic Republic and beyond regarding Vaal Hirah and the infamous Hutt Syndicate that rules a great portion of the Outer Rim. Some theorise that Vaal could not possibly have gained or held all of his assets without either the permission or aid of the Hutts. Indeed, the takeovers of both Tatooine and Yidri VIII would seem to suggest that something was watching over him, and it is worth mentioning that Dantooine had been ruled by Bulba the Hutt before Vaal was elected Mayor there. But, of course, no confirmation has come from Vaal's quarter regarding such things. Indeed, as his power and influence have grown along the Rim, so too has he become more outspoken. On many occasions he has been known to speak ill of the Hutt Syndicate, and even to declare that he is in directly opposing their would-be rule of all non-Republic space. And yet again, others point out that only a fool would not seek Republic aid in such a cause, which Vaal has apparently staunchly refused to do. This leads many to wonder what strings are attached to his power, and who in fact they are connected to. The Jedi Order Relations between Vaal Hirah and the noble Order of the Jedi have undergone many changes since he came to public notice, and it still appears to matter which Jedi you approach as to what opinion you will receive about him. However, whilst he has been seen to come and go freely from the Jedi Retreat on Coruscant and is credited with returning a wayward Padawan to their ranks (Jana Dawnrunner), most of the Jedi Order now appear to regard him as an enemy. One possible explanation for this is the occasional assertation that he is in fact a lost member of the Order itself; namely the Padawan Orin Lama-Shur, who was reported to have been murdered by Lolinar the Hutt. If true, the question still remains as to exactly why the Jedi have taken this stance against him, but rumours of theft and assaults against individual Jedi might provide an obvious link. That is, if one believes the rumours. Jedi Master Mina Vairde is said to have informed the Galactic Senate that Orin Lama-Shur is in fact no more, but the Order is also know for their love of figurative speech and metaphor. Either way, former Padawan or not, pirate or not, the destruction of the Independent Rim Consortium's flagship, the Dreadnaught Ancalagon, in Tatooine space was at the Jedi's insistence, and would appear to be an indication of their feelings towards him. So far, Vaal has declined from comment on the Order except to accuse them of unwarranted harrassment, although Padawan Aure Kaia is known to have spoken in his defense before. Doubters would highlight the intimate relationship that Aure shared with Orin Lama-Shur as further proof of that particular allegation, together with the high-profile claims of Agrippa Junik seconding it. Yet, once again, the public feud between Junik and Hirah gives the latter's supporters ample ammunition to claim spitefulness as the true motivation behind such claims. As is so often the case with such public mysteries, the galaxy shall have to wait and see what the truth of the matter is. Other Known Associates Behind the Scenes Category:Archived Characters